Trust the Process

“How do you clean it?”

We hear this on almost every call, so here is the full answer. Superior Carpet and Tile Cleaning uses professional hot water extraction, the method most people call steam cleaning. Heated water and a cleaning solution are pushed into the carpet under controlled pressure, then pulled straight back out along with the dirt. Nothing gets scrubbed into the fiber, and nothing dirty gets left behind.

Every job is done by Nick, the owner. You will not get a rotating crew or a subcontractor you have never met. The person who quoted your job is the person cleaning it.

Why Hot Water Extraction

It’s the method carpet manufacturers want

Shaw, the largest carpet manufacturer in the world, recommends professional hot water extraction, and most residential carpet warranties require it on a regular schedule (typically every 12 to 18 months). Bonnet cleaning, dry foam, and dry powder methods are on Shaw’s list of non-approved methods. If you want to keep your warranty intact, this is the cleaning it asks for.

It cleans the whole fiber, not just the top

Dirt, oils, and allergens work their way to the base of the carpet pile. Surface methods make the carpet look better for a week or two. Hot water extraction flushes soil out from the bottom up and vacuums it away, which is the difference between a carpet that looks clean and a carpet that is clean.

Heat does the heavy lifting

We clean with hot water. It dissolves the oily film that binds dirt to the fiber, so we can clean thoroughly with less chemical and less scrubbing. Your carpet gets a deep clean without a beating.

No sticky residue, pH-balanced finish

Residue is the reason some carpets look dirty again a few weeks after a cleaning: leftover soap attracts new soil. We use an alkaline prespray to break soil down, then rinse with a slightly acidic fiber rinse that neutralizes it. Your carpet is left pH-balanced, soft, and residue-free, not stiff or crunchy.

Safe for your carpet, your kids, and your pets

Hot water extraction is safe for every common carpet type: nylon, polyester, olefin, and wool. It pulls out allergens, pet dander, dust, and the odors trapped in the fiber, and the carpet is safe for kids and pets to use again as soon as it’s dry.

The Process

Before we arrive: please vacuum

We ask every customer to vacuum before we get there. Pulling loose, dry soil out first lets the cleaning go to work on what’s stuck in the fiber instead of what’s sitting on top. Clear small items off the floor if you can.

What about furniture?

Simple rule: clear out whatever you want cleaned under before we arrive. Our standard room rate assumes furniture stays where it is, and we clean right up to the edges of beds, dressers, entertainment centers, and sectionals. If you’d like a hand with lighter pieces, just ask and we’ll move them. Heavier items are case by case depending on what it is, so mention it when you book and we’ll tell you up front.

Step by step

1. Walkthrough and inspection. Nick walks every area with you: fiber type, traffic lanes, spots, pet areas, and anything you’re worried about. You’ll hear straight what we expect to come out and what might not.
2. Prespray. A professional-grade alkaline prespray goes down across the whole carpet. Its job is to loosen oily soil and break the bond between dirt and fiber before any water pressure touches the carpet.
3. Dwell. We give the prespray time to work. The chemistry does the labor so the fiber doesn’t have to.
4. Spot and stain treatment. Spots get targeted spotters and agitation where they need it, and only where they need it.
5. Hot water extraction and rinse. Heated water mixed with fiber rinse is pushed into the carpet under controlled pressure and vacuumed back out in the same pass. The wand’s ventilated glides pull more water out of the carpet, so it dries faster and nothing is left behind but clean fiber.
6. Final walkthrough. We go through every area with you before we leave. If something isn’t right, we fix it on the spot. That’s the Randy Approved standard.

Not every carpet needs the same amount of work. When the pile is flattened or packed down, Nick works it with a carpet rake to lift and open up the fibers. The dirtiest carpets can get a deep clean scrub, covered below. Most carpets never need it.

Add-Ons When the Job Calls for It

• Deep Clean Scrub. Most carpets don’t need this. It’s only for the dirtiest carpets: an orbital floor machine scrubs the prespray into the fiber before extraction to break loose ground-in soil that rinsing alone leaves behind.
• Pet Treatment. Enzymatic treatment for pet accidents that breaks down the source of the odor instead of covering it up. More on pet stains and odor.
• Sub-surface pet urine extraction. When urine has soaked through to the pad, surface cleaning won’t reach it. We flush and extract below the carpet to get at the source.
• Stain Guard. A protective treatment applied after cleaning that helps spills sit on top of the fiber instead of soaking in, so they blot up instead of setting.

After We Leave

• Keep air moving: ceiling fans, box fans, or the HVAC running all help.
• Stay off the carpet until it’s dry, or wear clean socks if you have to cross it.
• Wait until the carpet is fully dry before putting furniture back.
• Dry time depends on the carpet, how much soil came out, humidity, and airflow, so we don’t promise a number. We’ll tell you what to expect on the day.

Common Questions

Is it really steam?

Not literally. Hot water extraction uses heated water, not steam, and not boiling water either. Carpet can’t take that kind of heat: boiling water and live steam can distort synthetic fibers, break down the backing, shrink wool, and set stains permanently. We clean with hot water, at a temperature that dissolves oily soil without harming the carpet. “Steam cleaning” is just the name the industry settled on, and it stuck.

Will everything come out?

Most of it. Some things are permanent: bleach spots, dye transfer, old pet damage that has changed the fiber, and worn traffic lanes. We’ll point those out during the walkthrough so there are no surprises.

Will my carpet feel crunchy afterward?

No. Crunchy carpet is soap residue. Our fiber rinse neutralizes and removes it, so the carpet is left soft.

How often should carpet be professionally cleaned?

Shaw recommends professional hot water extraction every 12 to 18 months. Homes with kids, pets, or heavy traffic usually need it closer to the 12-month end.

Do you clean upholstery and area rugs the same way?

Same principle, adjusted for the fabric or fiber. See our upholstery cleaning and area rug cleaning pages for the details.